


The Chunins, Again

by Yemi Hikari (Yemi_Hikari)



Series: Just Write It [16]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Chuunin Exams, Drama, Friendship, Gen, Growing Up, Humor, Leadership, Slice of Life, Sports, Strained Relationships, just write it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-26
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:47:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25251088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yemi_Hikari/pseuds/Yemi%20Hikari
Summary: Gaara decides the best way to prove himself is to enter the next chunin exam despite the fact Suna is still looking for a new Kazekage. Tsunade stipulates Naruto must also take the exams, much to the young leaf ninja's irritation. Many of the other young genin from the leaf village are also planning to participate, and everyone has their own reasons for attempting the next exams.
Relationships: Baki & Gaara (Naruto), Gaara & Kashike (Naruto)
Series: Just Write It [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1822042
Kudos: 6
Collections: (Prompts) Just Write It, Platonic Relationships





	1. Proving Oneself

"I want to take the chunin exams again."

One could say the day started off normal enough, with Baki waking up at the crack of dawn, but from there on out things ended up very different. The Suna jonin would find himself heading to the training field where he would meet his students, and also expect Gaara to be typically missing, off doing whatever the twelve year old wanted to do. Normal activities for the Kazekage's youngest included watching the clouds role by, avoiding everybody he possibly could, or outright terrorizing the rest of the village with his mere presence.

If Gaara showed up, the young shinobi would instead terrorize his siblings simply by being their, with Kankuro rather lucky that he wore the makeup he did, as he'd seen the young man's reaction without the paint – a sickly green color that made even Baki feel nauseated. Temari on the other hand would be nervously trying to interfere between her two brothers, and one of the things discussed between their sensei and the Kazekage was the fact Temari seemed to have an effect on Gaara, where as others did not.

Most of the time they were lucky, and training went off without any hitches outside of Kankuro's inability to not goof off. This proceeded into any battle they went into, addled by Temari's ability to look down on her opponents skills, as the young shinobi really should have taken the chunin exam earlier, rather then waiting for Gaara to graduate. Nobody though wished to team up with the red haired shinobi, the fear of being killed for the young genin far outweighing the prestige from being teamed up with one of the Kazekage's children – not that anyone else could really deal with the three.

Then there were council meetings, and the Lord Kazekage complaining about what Gaara had or hadn't done – the man honestly couldn't make up his mind what he wanted from his youngest, but Baki really couldn't blame the man. Gaara listened to no one, and Baki found himself the constant sounding board for the Kazekage's anxieties, but also getting to see as side of Rasa even his children didn't know about, one that Baki preferred to not acknowledged existed, as this side went against the stern, firm Kazekage everyone knew Rasa to be.

The end of the conversations should have been a clue something was off, but Baki quickly explained the end of Rasa's rants as the man finally finding a use for his preteen son.

Now his days were different, as things had changed in Suna, and for the three siblings since the chunin exams, not to mention the death of the Lord Kazekage. Rasa's death left three orphans, one of which Suna wished nothing to do with, but two others whose needs still needed to be met. Baki was assigned to oversee their care – that of Kankuro and Temari – but to also keep Gaara in line to the best of his ability, something which turned out to be a mute point, as the boy's personality did a complete u-turn seemingly.

In the mornings he made his way over to the Lord Kazekage's house, knocking on the door so that one of the siblings would be forced to answer the door. At first the person answering ended up being Temari, but Gaara soon took on the task, the young shinobi typically struggling to sleep, yet also looking forward to Baki's arrivals in the morning, signaling the fact Gaara had allowed his sensei in. He would proceed to make sure the siblings were eating, proceed to training, make sure they eat their other meals, and pretty much seeing to their other needs.

One of those needs ended up being Gaara's emotional needs. Kankuro and Temari showed no sorrow regarding the passing of their father like everyone expected, and instead all of the emotional turmoil fell on the twelve year old genin who didn't understand what he was thinking. Thus Baki found himself sitting up on the roof of the house with the young shinobi when they weren't training, eating or on a mission, and the two would watch the clouds in the sky pass on by, and if Gaara thought of something he didn't understand, or wanted to talk about, he would talk. Keeping track of the [jinruchi] turned out to be an easy task.

It was one of these times that Gaara said what he did. "I want to take the chunin exams again."

Baki thought about what Gaara said carefully, not quite sure where the boy was going. The older shinobi folded his arms across his chest. "Well, I guess we can start prepping you and your siblings for the next chunin exams. I'm quite sure..."

"I don't want to do it with Kankuro and Temari's help."

The jonin sensei turned his head to look at the young shinobi, but found no trace of emotion on the boy's face, years of emotional abuse having taught Gaara not to show his emotions. Baki learned that for Gaara not showing emotions didn't mean they weren't there. "Gaara, you do understand that you've got to go through the chunin exams as a team of three."

"I understand. I still want to do it without their help." Gaara turned his head as Baki took a deep breath, and the young shinobi's seafoam green eyes widened. "You don't think I can do it?"

Baki allowed himself to show a bit of emotion, the corners of his mouth softening into a frown. "I don't think this is an issue of you not being able to do it. This is an issue of whether any of the other genin would be willing to help you. You do understand why that is?"

"I understand. That's why I have to do this."

Baki looked back up at the clouds, wondering how to present this information to the council, let alone explaining to Temari and Kankuro their younger brother's train of thought. "I honestly agree with you, and I'll do my best to help you out. I can't make any promises though, and you need to understand that there may be some people who will do anything they can to see that you fail.


	2. Stipulations

"Let me go after Sasuke already, Grandma Tsunade!"

The person in question tapped her fingers on the desk, her mouth pushed together so that her lipstick, although light, ended up clumping together. Shizune stood by the desk, unable to think of anything to settle down Naruto this time around. " _Maybe I should just let him go off and get killed?_ " The memory of giving the boy her prized necklace popped in her head, and a sigh escaped her lips as she turned around, continuing to listen to Naruto continue to rant. Her brown eyes closed, thinking carefully over certain things.

" _I know I said Naruto had potential to become Hokage, but that was before I got to know the kid as well as I did. The only skill he's got going for him is the fact he's a powerhouse, and while that can be turned into a tool to protect others, well, right now it is a force of destruction. I certainly can't let Naruto go off into another persons land causing mayhem, just on this whim, plus to become Hokage he needs to show leadership skills, and that he can control this temper of his._ "

Tsunade turned around to look Naruto in the eye, her fingers folded together in the most dainty manner she could muster. "I'll let you go and look for Uchiha Sasuke..."

"Yahoo!" Naruto's mouth twisted up into a smile, and he fist bumped the air, before turning to charge out of the room.

The fifth Hokage stood up, her voice rather loud. "Hold it! You didn't let me finish speaking, _again_!" The woman crossed her arms, her mouth twisted up into a deep frown, and her foot tapping. She watched as the young ninja turned to look at her, a rather sheepish look plastered on his face. "I'll let you go and look for Uchiha Sasuke, but there are conditions to letting you go, and these aren't conditions you'll be able to fulfill for awhile... oh, a few months at least."

The young blond shinobi crossed his arms, and let his mouth twist up into a frown. "How is that fair, Grandma Tsunade?"

"It's completely fair because you've yet to convince me that you're ready for the task you want to take on. The first stipulation I'm putting on you is that you need to pass the next chunin exams. They do not start up for at least four to five months, so it stands to reason that you'll need to focus on your training, and the missions I give you."

"How come? I can just blow through the exams with my Rasengan."

A smirk appeared on Tsunade's face, and she raised a finger up to wave at him, letting out a ticking sound as she did. "Oh, no, no, no. There is an additional stipulation that you're _not_ allowed to use the Rasengan at all. In fact, I'm going to specifically ask the kage of the next village to hold the chunin exams to have them watch out for you using said move, to automatically disqualify you if they catch you using it. This said, this doesn't mean you can be sneaky about this, as I expect your team mates to tell me the truth."

Naruto's blue eyes squeezed shut, his arms folding together in protest, allowing for a quiet to permeate the room, an absolute delight to the fifth Hokage. It didn't last long. "So, wouldn't that be unfair to Sakura to put on such stipulations? I could get us through the second phase..."

"First off, that's the point. You shouldn't be blowing through the exam, particularly the first two parts, as that's supposed to be about teamwork, or did you not understand that from the first exam? Now, if you get through the second exam, we might allow an exception, depending on who you're going up against. I mean, from what I've seen of Gaara, he wouldn't be pleased if you weren't allowed to go all out."

Naruto reached up a hand to scratch the top of his head. "You know, speaking of Gaara..."

"I hadn't finished Naruto!" Tsunade watched a shudder run down the boy's spine. "The second thing is, Sakura doesn't need to worry about you bringing her down because she's not going to be on the same team as you. That's the third stipulation, that the two cunin on your team are going to be ones you've never worked with before."

The blond haired preteen folded his arms. "Well, you see, I don't see how this is quite fair. Gaara was allowed to use his powers, and breezed through the second part of the exam, so why can't I."

The fifth Hokage stared at Naruto for a bit, and watched as s smirk started to appear on his face, indicating he thought he'd won the battle. "That was then, this is now."

"Ah, come on Grandma Tsunade."

"Plus, it's another village entirely, and there are other issues regarding Gaara that I am not going to get in with you."

"Seriously though, this is pretty unfair of you. I've already got to try and pass the exams, what else are you going to do."

"Forth, if you fail at getting chunin rank, you can wait another six months to go and get Sasuke, but if you're disqualified for using Rasengan, then you are banned from ever taking the chunin exams, unless of course you go back to the academy, and take all of your lessons over again. Got it?"

"I got the fact this is a very unfair deal."

"Do you want to eventually be Hokage someday?" Tsunade snapped.

"I don't see what that has to do with this!" Naruto glared at her, then pointed a finger. "I'm only agreeing to this because I've got no choice in the matter!"

The boy stormed off, and Tsunade let out a sigh of relief. Shizune however shook her head. "I kind of have to agree with Naruto on this. What exactly is the point of putting down such stipulations?"

Tsunade turned her chair so she could face the window. "Simple. Naruto wants to be Hokage one day, but he's yet to show that he's got the necessary leadership skills. The chunin exam is supposed to test teamwork, but also ones leadership skills. I don't want him though to simply breeze through the exams because he carries his team, but to learn to depend on his teams skills rather then just himself."

"Yes, but you've set him up to fail."

"I'm aware of that as well. If he manages to not use Rasengan then he is on his way to becoming Hokage, and even more if he is able to become chunin." Tsunade watched a bird fly by. "But if he fails, well, I'll have to admit that I was wrong about my assessment when he learned the Rasengan, and he'll have to work even harder to prove himself."

Shizune let out a sigh. "Next thing you know, he'll be demanding that you make him Hokage if he makes chunin."

"That will never happen. Making someone a kage at that age, the person would have to be crazy..." Tsunade leaned forward. "Or the shinobi that gifted, which is something Naruto is not."


	3. Naru Twins

The clouds rolled by, soft puffs of nothingness, the person watching them go by relaxing, and letting the day go by as if he had no care in the world. Eventually Shikamaru's eyes shut, and he felt the air from his lungs go out quicker and rougher, indicating he'd finally relaxed. " _Seriously, if I'd know being a chunin would be so much work, I wouldn't have even tried._ " The voice in the back of his head decided to admonish the young shinobi. " _No, you know that you couldn't have done that. Asuma wouldn't have let you get away with that, and Ino would have been seriously pissed._ "

A sigh escaped Shikamaru's lips, his mind drifting to the kind of trouble he would be in should Ino ever get pissed at him. A few crumbs hit his face, and the young teen grimaced before opening up his eyes to see Choji munching above him. A smirk spread across the dark haired shinobi's face, only to faulter when he saw Ino was with him. "What is it? We need to go on a mission?"

"No. Your dad asked us to find you. He needs you for something."

Shikamaru sat up, popping his shoulders, his dark eyes closing. "Sure. You mean to say he was to lazy to come up here himself. He knows very well that this is my spot, doesn't he Choji."

"Still..." Choji spoke through a mouthful of food. "... he sent us to get you."

The dark haired shinobi tucked his arms behind his head, and headed down the stairs wondering what his father wanted of him. "Did he say anything about what he wanted?"

"He said something about how he was having problems with... what were there names?" Ino glanced back at Choji.

"Oh, he was talking about Miwa-chan and Kanao I think." Choji shoved another handful into his mouth, the rather large shinobi almost crashing into Shikamaru as the other boy froze, his eyes widening in horror.

"Did you just say..."

"Yes, Choji just said Miwa and Kanao. What of it?" Ino glanced down at the tips of her fingers, her eyes taking in the edges to make sure she didn't need to clean them up again."

Shikamaru let his hand slap against his forehead, a groan escaping deep from in his gut. "Not those two."

Ino tilted her head, her blond ponytail sliding further down, her pale eyes indicating she found her fellow teammate's actions quite disagreeable. "So?"

"You could say that they're the black sheep of the family."

Choji shoved potato chips into his mouth. "Really? I heard their grades are the best in their year. Miwa-chan's supposed to be really good with genjutsu, and Kanao's good at weaponry jutsu."

The dark haired shinobi ground his teeth together, his arms crossing together, his body refusing to go any farther. "Really? You don't see how that is a problem? I mean, come on you guys..."

"Nope." Choji shoved more food into his mouth, munching away without thinking.

Ino let out a laugh. "What? Are you jealous of their grades or something? Because last time I checked you were nearly as bad as Naruto."

"Oh..." The big bodied shinobi stopped eating. "Well, now that I think of it, I can see that as a problem."

The blond haired kunoichi tensed her shoulders, gearing up to whack Choji on the head. "Seriously? Are you just trying to agree with him because you want to disagree with me or something?"

"Nah. I'm just thinking Shikmaru's right in saying they're not really fit to be in his clan, you know what I mean."

"That's downright cruel of you two!" Ino quickly pointed her finger at Shikamaru. "Seriously! If you're to lazy to help your dad with their training, the I will help!"

Shikamaru's eyes widened as Ino took off, his voice cracking at hearing what she said. "Training? My dad wants me to help _train_ those two."

"Yup." Choji shoved chips into his mouth. "You know what's really funny though?"

"Do I really want to know?"

"Ino's going to get a complete surprise when she meets them. They're not really like the rest of your clan, are they."

"Hell no!" Shikamaru waved a hand in the air like a fan, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "I mean, I spend way to much energy when I've gotten stuck babysitting them in the past. They're almost as bad as Naruto if you think about it. I can't imagine what my old man is even thinking, having me help him train them. I mean, they're doing fine in the academy." The thirteen year old shoved his hands into his pockets. "Well, might as well get this done with."

Arriving at the corner street allowed them to meet up with Ino again, who glared at the two boys. "Seriously. I'd go on ahead if it weren't for the fact you'd use my willingness to train them to take off."

Shikamaru glowered at the young female, wondering why she always had to be such a pain, but shook off the idea, and simply trod ahead to the small clearing where his father remained waiting. Standing in the clearing with the man stood a young boy sporting the traditional Nara style of wearing their hair into a ponytail, while the young female's hair was pulled into two dark pigtails. Ino walked over, waving her hand in the air. "Hello! We managed to get Shimakari for you!"

Choji leaned over to whisper into his companion's ear. "Ino's going to regret this, isn't she."

"Who knows. She hasn't even gotten a clue as to what they're like, and they're also from my clan, not hers."

"Maybe she's a little jealous that you've got _kohai_ in your clan to work with?"

"What is there to be jealous of? They're absolutely obnoxious, always wanting to, well, waste energy." Shikamaru rolled his eyes just as the two Nara twins spotted him, and came hurrying over, nearly knocking Ino over in the process.

"Maru-nii!" The boy skidded to a stop in front of Shikamaru, excitement and enthusiasm written all over his face, while his sister collided into the person they were greeting, hugging him around the middle, and knocking him to the ground. A yelp came from Shikamaru's mouth, his arms moving to shove the girl off of him. "Is it really true you're the only one to have made chunin?"

"Ah, yeah..." Shikamaru continued to try and extract himself from his family member's grip, rather displeased that the girl latched on like she did, a gasp escaping as her grip tightened, almost as if he were a soft stuffed animal. The thought made the color drain from his face, and his facial features to turn green. Ino looked over at them, the look on her face completely baffled at the reaction.


	4. Distance to Goal

The elders on the council rattled on, discussing various political issues, some more dire then others. One major issue that everyone agreed to be an issue was that a new Kazekage needed to be selected, but nobody had any kind of agreement on who should be selected. The council mentioned the two eldest of Lord Rasa's children, noting the fact the line should pass down as it always had, but the question of whether either were ready, let alone ever be ready came up. A few though questioned whether the position should continue down the line, and noted various issues that others tried to shush.

Outside of this nobody agreed on anything being an issue, although nearly everything had to do with the economic issues within Suna. Baki sat in his chair, listening to the rattling of the older elders, wishing he could roll his eyes at the stupidity of the men, his arms folded together, wondering how well his own issue would go over with the council. The jonin however couldn't help but feel slight pride over the fact Gaara had grown over the last month or so, and only wished that the council could also see the young man's growth.

"Is that the last issue we are needing to discuss."

"No." Baki watched as the older jonin looked up, a few with irritations on their face that one of their kohai had decided to add in an agenda not already planned for the meeting. His eyes took in the looks on every single one of their faces. "One of my students requested permission to take the chunin exams again, specifically the next chunin exams."

One of the elders folded his fingers together. "Well, it would be no problem for Lady Temari or Lord Kankuro, outside of the fact their team currently also consists of Lord Gaara. We can't exactly remove him from the team though, as they're part of the safety net should something go wrong. This is particularly so now that Rasa is gone."

"The one who asked was actually Lord Gaara."

Baki watched as the elders drew their breath, a few looking at each other, the looks of worry rather evident. One or two seemed to have rather amused looks, but it wasn't one of these elders who spoke up. "Are you joking with us?"

The jonin sensei of the fourth's children let his eyebrows raise up. "Do you think I would joke about this kind of thing?"

One of the other elders who was obviously worried tapped his fingers against the table, clearing his throat as he did so. "Well, it must be a joke on Lord Gaara's part. There is no way he could possibly think that we would agree with such a request."

Baki let his eyes look right into the man's eyes. "Actually, I think my student would ask what the difference between now and then is."

The first elder glowered at Baki, not at all pleased with the situation, making Baki realize the man speaking was Joseki. "Difference? We were preparing to attack Konoha, and to use him as a weapon. The last thing we need is for him to completely loose it in yet another village, and he will lose it. That child has a blood lust, doesn't care if he hurts others. That's the way Lord Gaara has always been."

" _Perhaps that wasn't the best way to try and argue for Gaara's position._ " Baki's facial features softened, knowing full well that he had pushed the wrong buttons. The elder however unwittingly gave him a chance to counter. "That may be the way Lord Gaara has been in the past, but his behavior has changed over the last month. You did after all feel fine with sending him to help Konoha when they requested it, and without me going with my students."

One of the two others who favored Gaara lifted their hand in a light manner. "Come on now. Baki has a point. Lord Gaara's behavior has changed drastically, or are you going to say this change in behavior is due to an attempt by our jinchuriki is plotting something?"

Baki winced, wondering if this other council member would actually hinder his argument. Joseki noticed his movement. "Well, is Lord Gaara planning anything? There is a reason behind his request is there not."

"I believe that Lord Gaara sees it as his way of proving himself." The jonin felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, wondering if he would be giving Lord Gaara bad news regarding the request. A silence fell over the room, making Baki wonder if the other elders actually understood the fact Lord Gaara had gained a conscience so to speak. The silence continued, and Baki looked down at the ground, wondering how long it would take for someone else to speak.

One of the council members cleared their throat, looking at the table as if the idea of Gaara wanting to prove himself came across as creepy. "There are other ways to prove that he's a useful weapon to Suna."

Baki felt the corners of his mouth twist up, one of his fingers tapping the top of the table a few times. "What if per say that isn't what Lord Gaara wants to prove?" Baki watched the silence fall over the table, and the men looked at each other, trying to digest what Baki said.

"Lord Gaara works well with his siblings, to a point." Joseki twiddled his fingers together. "So perhaps sending him with Lady Temari and Lord Kankuro wouldn't be a bad idea."

The sensei of the fourth's children let out a sigh. "No. You're not understanding what he wants at all."

Joseki's eyes narrowed. "What Lord Gaara wants doesn't matter. He is after all our jinchuriki, our weapon."

"And perhaps that right there is the problem, that we keep thinking of him as a weapon, and forgetting that he is human." Baki listened to the silence fall over the table, and finally decided it was best to say everything that needed to be said despite the fact he knew none of the council members would agree with him, or only a few if he was lucky. "Lord Gaara wishes to participate in the chunin exams without Lady Temari, and Lord Kankuro, instead working with a new team." The man heard gasps from some of the members. "I'm going to add the fact I believe in my student, and would appreciate it if he were given the chance."

"So is this about proving yourself?" One of the council members let out a snort.

"No. This is about Lord Gaara proving himself." Baki listened to the silence, wondering if the men would actually give in.

"I think..." Joskei folded his fingers together. "I think Lord Baki, that this is something we should speak about, the rest of the council, without you being here to hear what we say."

Baki stood up, and made a slight bow to the men. "I still expect an answer from you."

The man still couldn't expect the council not to try and avoid the subject.


	5. Ramen Run

"I can't believe grandma Tsunade is being so mean." Naruto let his arms cross his chest, his mouth turned down into a deep frown. "I honestly don't get what the big deal is. What didn't she get about the fact she gave me no choice in the matter."

The young shinobi wondered what to do at that point, as bothering the fifth Hokage about going to retrieve Sasake honestly wouldn't work, and the woman would give the blond a look indicating she had no reason to put up with Naruto's complaints. For a brief moment the idea of pulling some kind of massive prank fluttered across Naruto's mind, but then the young shinobi chided himself for having outgrown such activities, and yet the lure of doing something crazy wouldn't go away.

Nobody else was in sight, and his mind wandered to who the Hokage would get to team up with him, and he found himself nearly bumping into Sakura. The pink haired konoichi glanced up, her eyes taking in her team mate wondering why the young man's face was painted with a scowl, but quickly came to a conclusion. "The Hokage still wouldn't let you go after Sasuke, correct?"

Naruto didn't pick up on the rather dry tone in her voice, indicating that his behavior of begging the Hokage to let him go actually annoyed her. "Hell no! She's also told me I've got to pass the chunin exams."

Sakura's eyes widened, her lips pushing together as she thought about what he said. "So, wait... whose supposed to be on our team?"

"Don't know." The young blond shinobi looked down at his arms folded across his chest, his mouth twisted down at the corners. The fact Tsunade mentioned Sakura not being on the same team as him slipped his mind, his eyes drifting down to the ground.

"I guess I'll ask her later." Sakura's eyes blinked a couple of times. "Wait, so Lady Tsunade told you that you needed to pass the chunin exams to go after Sasuke."

"I know. It's going to take me longer to keep my promise."

Sakura worried at her lip, her eyes darting to the side, her shoulders held in a position that made her seem as if the conversation was making her uncomfortable. "It's not that big of a deal. I mean, the fact you weren't able to keep that promise."

"I told you. I always keep my promises. I promise I _will_ pass the chunin exams, then grandma Tsunade will let me go and bring back Sasuke. Got it Sakura?" Naruto's face broke out into a smile, and he pointed a finger at his chest. The marks on his cheeks moved slightly as the smile appeared, and his eyes twinkled. Sakura however didn't give him a strong look, her head falling down. "You don't think I can't do it?"

"It's not that Naruto. See, it's..." The young female stopped, a smile spreading across her face, but her eyes filled with sadness. "Never mind. I doubt I could explain it to you, and it's really the thought which counts. I'll see you later, as I've got more training to do."

"Me to. I've got to get ready for the chunin exams after all." The young shinobi watched his fellow teammate disappear out of the corner of his eye. "Easier said then done. Pervy sage isn't here to train me, so how am I supposed to train?" Naruto shoved his hand's into his pocket, sulking as he did so, his mouth twisted into a deep frown.

"Hey Naruto?"

The familiar voice drew the blond out of his stupor, his eyes widening. "Iruka Sensei?"

"How come you look so down in the dumps?" The man rubbed a finger across his scarred nose, his mouth twisting into a mischievous smile.

"Grandma Tsunade won't let me go after Sasuke."

"Oh..." Iruka's smile faded. "How about I treat you to some ramen, and we talk about it?"

The blond haired shinobi felt a good feeling settle into his chest and stomach, although Tsunade's decree remained depressing. He sat at the counter with Iruka, and told the man exactly what Tsunade said to him. "It's not fair."

"Maybe." Iruka glanced up at the ceiling as their ramen was delivered, his chopsticks ready to take a bite. "The situation is rather cruel, in the fact you did already graduate, but you've not exactly been very pleasant about this whole Sasuke business."

"I promised that I would bring him back. What doesn't Lady Tsunade get that?"

"She gets that." The man blew on his ramen, then spoke through a mouthful. "See though, she wants to make sure you're able to keep your promises, and is trying to give you tools you need as a ninja. Becoming a chunin, that's an important part of growing up, and a sign that you're ready to go on a mission to find Saskue. So I completely get the fact she wants you to graduate."

"Yeah, but not use Rasengan?" Naruto fumed over his bowl, his scowl wrinkling up his nose.

"Well, you were complaining a minute ago that it wasn't fair that you're having to go through this, but what about everyone else? Everybody else going through the exams outside of perhaps Gaara aren't going to have the same level of chakra, and thus can't pull off such moves. That's why she's stipulated that there might be an exception to the rule, if you're able to fight Gaara."

"Yeah, but Gaara's not going to have any stipulations placed on him, if he goes."

"Gaara is a shinobi of the sand village, while you are a shinobi of the leaf village."

"Still..." Naruto slurped up the ramen. "Then there is the fact I won't be on the same team as Sakura."

"Well, there is that. The point of the chunin exams is to test your teamwork skills, so what better way to test those skills then by placing you with team members you've never worked with. There is a reason behind what she's doing, although that doesn't really change the fact it's such a pain for you. I think though by now you should know that not everything will go your way."

"Still stinks." The blond haired shinobi muttered into his ramen.


	6. Director and Editor

The situation, to say the least, was completely one of the last kinds of scenarios Shikamaru wanted to find himself in. The young chunin tried thinking back to when he last saw the twins, and remembered quite quickly there was a reason why he stayed out of their way. " _The last time I hung out with them, they drug me all around Konaha, so I wasn't able to take my daily nap. That's when I dubbed them the annoying Nara twins, and they didn't even react. You would think telling someone they're annoying like that would give them a clue._ "

Ino continued to stare, not moving to help Shikamaru out, and instead let her arms hang down at her sides, her mouth partially open. After a few seconds though, her finger rose up, and her mouth began to move, as if she wanted to say something. One of Shikamaru's hands drifted to the top of Miwa's head, wishing that his female cousin hadn't chosen to hug him, the whole situation being way to touchy-feely for his liking. The young man glared at his father, watching the Naru elder rub the top of his head. "Ah, yeah. Before I forget." The man suddenly beamed at the two. "These are the adorable, amazing Naru twins, my niece and nephew."

" _Adorable my ass, annoying more like it. As for amazing, well, this is my father we're talking about. And they're my first cousins? I actually have an uncle? Seriously..._ " Shikamaru opened his mouth. "Hey. What about your son over here?"

Shikaku blinked a couple of times, rubbing the top of his head. "I'm not sure what you're so upset about."

" _You've forgotten that I got named chunin again, haven't you?_ " The thirteen year old narrowed his eyes, wishing that his father would get Miwa off him as well as stop Kanao from grinning like an idiot. " _Those two have never fit in with the clan._ "

"Well..." The man looked up at the sky. "Why don't the two of you introduce yourselves?"

Miwa let go of Shikamaru's waist, and stood up with her twin brother, making the thirteen year old think the embarrassment was over. Ino still continued to stare, her finger pointed in his direction, her eyes having widened in horror. Shikamaru stood up, attempting to brush off his pants, only to stop the process when the twins started speaking again.

"I'm the director." Miwa's fingers went up into a square near her before clapping her hands together.

Kanao stood next to her, his fingers moving like a pair of scissors. "I'm the editor."

"And together we're The Annoying Naru Twins."

The young chunin of the Naru clan felt the corner of his mouth twitch, while Ino's mouth completely dropped, as did her arm. The look of horror on the blond haired shinobi's face increased, and Shikamaru let out a sigh. "Seriously?" The young shinobi popped his back. " _That's what I used to call them._ "

Choji quickly held up a thumb. "Nice introduction you guys."

Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly, and he nearly spluttered. "Don't incourage them Choji!"

"Wait a sec..." Ino began to stammer, pointing at the two. " _You_ guys, _you're_ related to Shikamaru?"

"Of course we're related to Maru-nii!" Miwa's face formed into a pout.

Kanao folded his arms across his chest. "Don't we _look_ like members of the Naru clan?"

"Look is one thing, act is completely another." The blond haired ninja stammered, her finger still pointing at the two. "You two certainly don't act it."

The twins simply stared at her, as if Ino had said something crazy. Shikaku rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, they're a part of our clan. That's part of the problem really. They're making top grades at the academy, but they're in a slump regarding out clans abilities. That's why I'm asking for Shikamaru to help me with their training."

"And why can't you do it old man?" Shikamaru glared at the man.

The adult shinobi let out a sigh. "I tried..." The man scratched the back of his head. "There were some issues."

"At least you're acting seriously now. For a moment I thought you were drunk, or something." Shikamaru folded his arms. "So, can either of you do the family jitsu, and for how long?"

The smiles fell from the twins faces, the two looking at each other. Miwa spioke first. "I guess about five seconds."

"What..." The young chunin watched as Ino began to bite her nails in irritation.

"I don't really know. I've never really had to hold it for long."

"How..." Shikamaru shook his head.

"Let me handle this Shikamaru." The blond haired kunoichi spoke up, stepping forward and stretching her arms out. "So, do you know why your clans powers are so important?" A smile spread across Ino's face, and the thirteen year old knew she was looking forward to bossing her kohai around.

" _Seriously, she doesn't know what she's getting into. Even I don't know what I'm getting into, not with these two._ "

The girl held up one finger. "See, our families, your clan, my clan, and Choji's clan have had a history of teaming up with each others. Choji's clan is the power house. Your clan's job is to paralyze the enemy so that I can use my jutsu. I can either possess the enemy..." Ino held up her fingers in the shape of a heart, but then moved her fingers into position to do Mind Destruction Jutsu. "... or I can set the enemies upon each other. Your clan's jutsu supports my clan's jutsu, got it?"

Ino continued to hold out her fingers, and Miwa mimicked her. The female Naru twin looked at her fingers. "Oh, that's the hand move I use for my genjutsu I've not named yet." The three young shinobi watched as the female twin swung around so she pointed the square at Shikamaru's father. "Mind Destruction Jutsu!"

Shikamaru felt his jaw drop at the exact same time as his female team member, while Choji simply kept munching at his potatoes chips. Ino pointed her finger at Miwa. "You don't use Mind Destruction Jutsu on Shikamaru's dad."

"Eh..." Shikaku looked up at the sky.

Shikamaru felt a chill run down his spine. His entire blood froze when his father raised his hand's to his arm pit, and began to flap his arms, and the man started clucking like a chicken. A hand went up to his face, and a groan escaped his lips. Choji stopped stuffing food into his mouth, and simply stared. Ino however pointed her finger at the old man. "What the hell! That isn't Mind Destruction Jutsu!"

"Maybe you should call it Chicken Destruction Jutsu, sis." Kanao folded his arms across his chest. "What exactly were you thinking of?"

"Eh? I was thinking of that pet chicken we have at home." Miwa's eyes blinked a couple of times.

"You mean the one mom's going to cook for dinner?"

The thirteen year old watched as his female cousin's lip began to tremble, and flinched when his father switched from acting like a chicken, to bawling his head off, his fists lifted up to rub his eyes. Shikamaru felt a rather nauseating feeling in the pit of his stomach, wondering how his cousins could have ended up so messed up, but his father as well.

"Miwa! Don't make uncle cry!" Kanao chided his sister.

"Uncle..."

Shikaku stopped crying, glancing around, his finger pointing up as he teetered about as if he were drunk. "Oh look. A birdy."

The man let out a hiccup, and Shikamaru felt like he would be sick, wishing the entire situation never happened. Ino pointed at the girl. "I'm out of here! I don't appreciate you insulting my family's jutsu like that!"

Miwa blinked a couple of times, he concentration broken. Shikaku rubbed the back of his head. "Oh. Something happened."

"Of course it did old man." Shikamaru folded his arms across his chest. "What is up with your jutsu, Miwa?"

The girl looked him right in the eye. "What do you mean? There isn't anyone from the Akimichi or the Yamanaka clans in our year, so I decided to study genjutsu. That way I can support my brother's jutsu."

"I kind of suck though, but our tag team move is called Directors Cut."

"What the hell is with the movie references. That's so lame." Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head.

"You know what?" Shikaku became excited. "We should show off their jutsu. Let's head to the bar."

"Uncle, we're minors." Kanao shook his head. "And last time we were asked not to come back."

"Oh, he's just trying to use you guys as an excuse."

"Fine, I'll find some other place for entertainment!" The man began to walk off, and the twins followed after him.

Choji shoved more chips into his mouth. "I wonder whose meant to be the entertainment."

"What's that supposed to be?"

"It seems like Miwa-chan's jutsu is geared towards making people act like idiots. We're likely the targets, not that I mind acting like an idiot."

Shikamaru let out a sigh. "Seriously, how can a jutsu to make your opponent act like an idiot help you in a battle. The jutsu's a lose canon, and doesn't really serve any real purpose."


	7. Plotting of Elders

He stood outside the council meeting not knowing what went on inside.

Baki expected an answer from the council which either outright ignored Gaara's request, or for an outright denial of said request. After all, the request wasn't something anyone would expect of the young shinobi prior to the previous chunin exam. A fear lingered around the village regarding who would tackle one of Gaara's rampages; the deceased Kazekage handled practically everything regarding the boy.

On top of this, Joseki was in control. He saw – always saw – Gaara as a major threat to the village, yet more than once pointed out Gaara was a failed experiment. This started long before the failure of the previous chunin exams; in fact, this started before the brother-in-law and uncle of Gaara died. As such, Baki expected Joseki to fight Gaara's request tooth and nail.

He wasn't expecting to hear…

"Our answer is yes."

… come from Joseki's mouth, let alone the fact they wanted Gaara meeting up with his new team in the morning at the training grounds with Baki as the jonin for said team.

Baki knew something was up; the affirmative answer came back too quickly for his liking. He also knew practically none of the elders held any reason to trust Gaara, leaving him wondering what they exactly said when he left the room. In fact, the man who constantly sought the removal of Gaara as a threat to the village looked like he'd won; in fact, quite a few of the other elders leaving the council room looked as if they'd won as well.

He stood there, feeling as if he'd failed his student rather than achieving the wanted victory. Watching them leave, he noticed one of the elders hang back. "Ryusa?"

"Would it be possible to speak with you before you return to your current duties?"

"Yes." Baki watched the man eye the other elders warily. "Are you sure that…"

"You're a member of the council, yet also his teacher. It wouldn't be right for you not to know." The man let out a sigh. "They expect Lord Gaara to fail."

"Well, that's not surprising. What's surprising is they're willing to risk the lives of two shinobi to prove their point."

"That's because this is Lord Gaara's last chance."

Baki swallowed, knowing full well what Ryusa meant. Joseki argued long and hard over the years regarding the removal of the tailed beast from Gaara so they might select a host that might serve Suna better. He also knew removing Shukaku would result in Gaara's death. His arms crossed; his eyes looked towards the ground. "I see."

"No, you don't." Ryusa's comment made Baki look back up at him. "There was also talk regarding what would happen if he didn't."

He closed his eyes, contemplating what the council might be discussing when they'd already considered Gaara succeeding a long shot. "I'm not following. They wouldn't believe this possible unless some kind of miracle happened."

"Such a miracle – they discussed what this would actually imply."

"What this would imply?" Baki's mouth twisted slightly, thinking over what Ryusa said.

"You've not actually thought about it?"

"To be honest, I'd not thought about the implications beyond the fact Lord Gaara wants to prove he's not the same person as before, but…" Baki opened his eyes. "Everyone knows a success means an influx of clients due to the young shinobi proving himself a strong asset for potential missions." He watched Ryusa's facial features twist, almost as if he were missing something. "What?"

"How strong would you say Lord Gaara is?"

"How strong? Lord Gaara is as strong as…" Baki stopped speaking. The thought which crossed his mind was honestly insane, yet there was no denying what the elders were thinking. "No. They can't be thinking…"

"The elders, particularly Joseki, feels a young Kazekage would be easier to shape into the Kazekage they want for a village."

"Believing they can easily manipulate Lord Gaara shows just how much they underestimate him."

"Do you believe in him? Do you believe he's changed?"

Baki looked the man in the eye. "I wouldn't have brought his request to the council if I didn't think he had."

"Then I honestly hope he succeeds." Ryusa then asked, "Are you going to tell him? What the council plans?"

"I don't know. I at least need to tell him."

"There's something else you need to know. Joseki will be selecting the rest of Lord Gaara's teammates."

"I'm left with the honest impression he wants to manipulate the situation to his liking no matter the outcome."

"Again. I wish you luck."

"Thank you for giving me a heads up regarding what the council discussed. I should go and find my student." Baki took a deep breath before taking off. He found Gaara where he expected, on the roof of the house the young shinobi lived with his siblings. The young shinobi looked at the clouds, oblivious to the fact success meant life or death for him.

"Sensei."

"What are you thinking about today, Gaara? I mean, outside hoping the council will let you take the exams with a team not consisting of your siblings?" Baki watched Gaara turn his head, the corners of his mouth twisting slightly up. He remembered Rasa doing something similar every so often.

"I was thinking about sages."

"Sages?"

"I think…" Gaara's mouth twisted. "I learned Lady Tsunade is a sage, but so is Uzumaki's teacher, though apparently, he's also a pervert."

"This doesn't explain the sudden interest in sages though." Baki watched Gaara's hands tighten around the railing.

"On top of being powerful, a sage is supposed to be wise and kind."

"Gaara, look at me." Baki watched the young shinobi turned his head and look at him. "Are you thinking of pursuing the path of a sage? It is, you know a difficult path."

"Yes." Gaara started looking at the clouds again. "I'd also like to learn some healing ninjutsu from Lady Tsunade. I know I can't spend much time in Konoha, but anything I might learn would be useful in helping others. The path of the sage is also about helping others. Temari said she'd look for some books for me."

"That would be because going into the library here in Suna results in scaring people?"

"Yes. I've not given up on the chunin exams. No, this is in addition to that, but if they don't let me…"

Baki looked up at the clouds. "You'll be starting with your new team tomorrow." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the excitement in Gaara's eyes. "Have you told Kankuro or Temari?" He watched the young shinobi look away. He reached out a hand and gently touched Gaara's shoulder which in turn made the young shinobi look at him. "We'll tell them tomorrow together, okay?"

The corners of Gaara's mouth twisted up again, yet again reminding Baki of the young shinobi's father. "Thank you, sensei."

"You're welcome, but don't thank me yet. This will be difficult."


	8. Say What?

Of course, just because a jutsu didn't serve any real purpose didn't mean said jutsu couldn't be used to cause trouble. If Shikamaru _really_ thought about it, he already knew of a useless jutsu created by one Uzumaki Naruto which allowed a certain blond-haired, blue-eyed shinobi to turn into a naked, female version of himself. Said jutsu definitely caused a great deal of trouble for everyone involved.

However, what he found himself easily thinking of was the trouble he would personally be in with his own mother if he didn't stop his father from letting the twins run amuck for the lazy man's own personal entertainment. A sigh escaped upon realization. Thankfully – or perhaps not – Choji was with him when he started searching. Neither expected what they saw in front of them.

Shikamaru's eye twitched.

"Well… at least it's Naruto they've targeted?"

"He makes a big enough fool of himself as it is." Shikamaru's mouth twisted slightly, frustrated his two cousins were, in fact, making him expect more energy than he should.

From what he saw, Naruto was in mid slurp when the young shinobi's body stopped reacting the way it should. More specifically, Naruto – who loved ramen – stopped eating it and stood up. He started acting out what Shikamaru guessed was a scene from a recent movie the twins had seen, but soon Iruka Sensei was also moving along, also saying lines from the movie.

Shikamaru watched Iruka's face stiffen, then react. "Kanao! Miwa! Both of you knock it off right now!"

"Ah, but they were just getting started." Shikaku rubbed the side of his head.

"You're the head of the Nara clan! You shouldn't _be_ encouraging them like this!"

" _Yeah, he shouldn't_." Shikamaru let out a sigh, wondering if he should step in. A crunching sound came from where Choji stood.

"I'm glad I brought snacks."

"Do you want to deal with Naruto once he finds out he's been – well, you know, staring in one of their reenactments?"

"I don't think Iruka Sensei can do anything about it. At least not until Kanao's shadow jutsu wears off."

"What a drag. And no, Kano's not doing the family jutsu." Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head. He stepped out of the shadows, heading straight over while Choji followed close behind. His best friend continued munching on the chips. People were staring, which would definitely make Naruto's response once he realized what was going on even worse. A quick thump on the top of the head made Miwa loose concentration, her hands darting up.

"Maru-nii!"

"Knock it off you two." Shikamaru watched Naruto's eyes blink, his blue eyes focused on the night sky.

"Ah. Did you have to go and do that?"

"Seriously? You're the adult here. Why don't you go play with Choji and Ino's dads already?"

Shikaku reached a hand up and rubbed his chin. "I think there is something I'm forgetting."

"Yeah. That mom doesn't like you out late causing trouble but also likes you home for dinner? You _always_ forget that."

"What just happened?" Naruto's eyes blinked, his mind still not registering what Miwa did. He'd not noticed the fact some of the villagers were whispering about what happened, or the angry look on Iruka's face. Shikamaru watched Iruka's face stiffen, then heard him react. "Kanao! Miwa! Both of you knock it off right now! I've told you that jutsu is off-limits, but that you're supposed to be working on your family jutsu."

"But she made up her own jutsu." Shikaku was definitely not helping the situation.

"Wait…"

Choji chomped down on some food. "So, like, you got caught in Miwa's jutsu and were performing a romance scene from that new movie girls like a lot."

Shikamaru slapped a hand against his forehead. He'd not picked up on any such thing. Iruka's face, of course, turned red. "Miwa!"

"We didn't do that scene!" Miwa's cheeks puffed out.

Kanao crossed his arms. "You also didn't let us do our director's cut! Not fair Maru-nii!"

Naruto looked back and forth, still not having figured out what was going on.

"Oh!" Choji clapped his fist into the palm of his hand. "It was the scene where the daughter tells her father about how the love of her life has rejected her. My bad."

"What!" A certain hyperactive knucklehead pointed at Miwa. "Are you telling me you had me act like a girl?"

"Aren't you the one who came up with a jutsu to transform yourself into the opposite gender?"

Miwa's comment left Naruto pointing, his jaw dropped in disbelief. Shikamaru brought an elbow down on her head. "Be that as it may, that doesn't give you an excuse to make Naruto act out a scene from some romance movie taking on the girls part."

"I feel like I'm forgetting something important." Shikaku looked up, his hand on his chin. His eyes widened, indicating he remembered. Shikamaru found himself dreading the fact his father remembered something. "I remember." The man hit his palm with his other hand, similar to how Choji did a few minutes ago. "I remember _why_ I was trying to train Kanao-kun and Miwa-chan."

"Oh?"

"They're going to be on Naruto's team for the next chunin exam."

"What?" Shikamaru felt his irritation grow. He didn't like the fact the twins weren't reacting.

"I also remember the real reason I wanted your help."

"And what would that be?"

"Lady Tsunade wanted you to be their team leader with my supporting from the side."

The twins still weren't reacting, but Naruto was still standing there in disbelief. Iruka's eyes blinked. "Wait…"

Shikamaru spoke faster than his academy teacher. "Did you two know about this?"

"Well, no." Kanao shrugged, putting his hands behind his head while Miwa let out a giggle.

"Wait for a second! Neither one of these two has graduated from the academy! They've not taken the graduation exam, but aren't scheduled to do so until April! How can they…"

"About that. Lady Tsunade decided to make an exception."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"That my line!" Naruto finally spoke, but the ninja's attention turned to one young shinobi, in particular, pointing and making it all clear a certain someone was watching fully amused the whole time. Of course, Shikamaru noticed said shinobi was there, yet didn't think anything of it. "This isn't funny Kiba!"

Someone peeked out from behind Kiba, a slight blush on her cheeks. While Shikamaru hadn't noticed Kiba or the dog which always traveled with him, he definitely hadn't noticed Hyuga Hinata. There was no denying the fact being a chunin honestly sucked.


	9. Chapter 9

He arrived at his usual time in the morning so he might observe whether the three siblings were eating properly, adjusting said routine if needed. Temari stood at the counter showing Gaara how to make a healthy breakfast for himself while the young shinobi looked on with utter interest. A smile flickered across Baki's face, mentally noting the definite change in Gaara's personality.

"There is something we need to discuss." Baki watched Kankuro look up from working on his puppet. "You aren't depending on Temari to make all the meals, are you Kankuro?"

"I'm actually looking forward to tasting whatever Temari teaches Gaara to teach."

Baki's mouth twisted. "Teaching Gaara to cook will need to hold off until another day." He watched Temari's eyes widen; Kankuro, in turn, gave him a rather disappointed look, yet he proceeded in standing up so he might get his own meal. Gaara shuffled his feet and looked towards the ground, knowing full well where the conversation would be headed.

Temari let out a sigh. "Another mission already?"

"Actually, I'm here to discuss the next chunin exams."

"Seriously. We're discussing that so soon?" Kankuro stopped fetching the box of cereal from the cupboard. Temari walked over, taking the box from him before proceeding to pour a bowl for Gaara. She set the bowl on the table yet didn't speak. Kankuro cleared his throat. "Well, of course, Temari should be able to become chunin, so I get why…"

"I'd rather hold off until the next one, the one which takes place here in Suna."

"Well, there. You have your answer." Kankuro turned and leaned against the counter, a smirk on his face. Baki watched Temari pour the milk into Gaara's bowl. He watched the youngest swallow while staring at the bowl of cereal rather than eating. The young shinobi looked like he wanted to say something, yet his lips pushed together as if he felt guilty.

"Gaara will be participating in the next chunin exams." Baki watched the two older siblings; shock appeared on their faces. He utilized this to his advantage and continued speaking. "More specifically, he will be participating without either one of you."

"Are you kidding me?" Kankuro pushed away from the counter but stormed over. Without hesitation, he grabbed onto the front of Baki's shinobi clothing. "I thought you were on our side, but you're just like everyone else in this village! You…"

The middle child pulled back one hand; the fact he planned on punching Baki was all too obvious. Baki saw a blur before heard the sound of a bowl of cereal hitting the flow. A small hand grabbed onto the puppet master's sleeve, holding the punch back. "Kankuro…"

"Don't, Gaara! We trusted him! He…"

"Gaara. Why don't you head to the training grounds? I'll bring you something to eat." Baki watched the younger of the siblings look up at him. "Don't worry. I trust you to go to the training grounds on your own without incident."

Gaara let go of Kankuro's arm, quickly disappearing from the room. Kankuro let go of Baki's clothing, stepping away. The anger on his facial features remained all too apparent, yet Temari seemed less than pleased. "You." Kankuro's voice trembled, his hands forming fists at his side. "You only got close to us so you could manipulate him!"

"As if anyone could manipulate your brother."

"Then why send him away. It's as if you didn't want him to hear what you have to say to us."

"Because there is something the two of you need to hear that Gaara shouldn't, something the two of you should have learned a long time ago. To be honest, if I'd thought agreeing to Gaara's request to ask the council to let him participate in the next chunin exams without either of your help…"

"Gaara would never! We're a team!" Kankuro started towards the door. "I'm going and…"

"This has become a life or death situation for your brother."

"Kankuro. Wait. Let's listen to what sensei has to say. I think it's important." Temari's words made Kankuro stop. "Is it really true Gaara wanted to do this on his own? Why? Why would we do that when our team functions well?"

"Your brother wanted to prove he could work with shinobi other than his own siblings, to prove he's changed as a person since the last chunin exams." Baki took a deep breath, letting it out. "Kankuro, can you respect him for that? It isn't as if he doesn't want to be a team with you two anymore, but this is what he needs to grow as a shinobi at this point."

"What did you mean about this being a life or death situation for him?"

"This is his last chance with the council. If he fails, the tailed beast will be removed."

"Isn't that a good thing? I mean, I believe he's capable of keeping things under control, but wouldn't this mean his life might be more normal?" Kankuro turned, his mouth twisting into a frown.

"If Shukaku is removed, Gaara dies."

"Wait. I've looked into this." The horror on Temari's face was evident. "It's actually a common misconception that a jinchuriki will die if the tailed beast is removed. The actual reason for death comes from the jinchuriki being in a weakened state before the removal. The typical case is when another village wears the jinchuriki down so they can take the spirit out, or in the case of the original vessel for Shukaku who'd lived to a very old age. Even in these cases, the jinchuriki can be kept alive if there is some of the tailed beast's chakra nearby."

"Okay, so I don't know as much about this as you do. Hadn't even though about looking something like that up, but do you really think the council of elders wouldn't wear Gaara down before removing it? Do you think they'd supply someone they think of as a monster with chakra from the tailed beast so he'll survive?"

"That…" Temari looked at the ground.

"That is what you meant, right sensei."

Except, it wasn't. "Gaara is only alive _because_ of Shukaku."

"Wh.." Temari swallowed.

"Don't you think there were plenty of times Lord Rasa could have removed Shukaku from Gaara and been done with all of this?"

"He sent assassins after him."

"The council sent assassins after Gaara, or at least someone likely did."

"He would have told us!" Kankuro's hand slammed into the wall.

"He would have, wouldn't he?" Temari's voice trembled. "I mean, you're saying he purposefully let us believe he was a monster all this time."

"He let Gaara think he was a monster. In fact, until recently both of you thought Gaara was a monster. It wasn't until you saw the change in Gaara that you started thinking of Rasa as a monster, but you must remember we live in a village where the weak are disposable."

"Gaara needs…" Temari crossed her arms, sitting down in the chair.

"No." Baki took a deep breath. "The only reason I'm telling either of you this is because your father's not around anymore. He's not there to protect either of you or Gaara from council politics. In fact, I may at any time no longer be there for you three, which is why you two need to know."

"So we're never going to tell him?"

"I don't know. There may come a time, but at this point let him keep moving forward and forging his own way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always felt the jinchuriki dying was a convenient plot device particularly when the Uzimake clan got special treatment in regard to the removal of the spirit. More importantly, all the removals we know of were done after the jinchuriki was battled with and weakened so the removal could occur.


End file.
